A home for everyone

Draft Port Stephens Local Housing Strategy

The NSW Government is predicting another 20,000 residents that will call Port Stephens home over the next 20 years. This forecast has driven the review of housing across Port Stephens.

There is limited opportunity for new housing developments across Port Stephens and housing prices and low rental vacancies have begun to push middle income families out of the market. This impacts local businesses that struggle to attract workers, particularly in the aged care, hospitality, and health sectors.

The impacts of housing prices and low rental vacancies are also forcing more people to either relocate or choose housing options that are not ideal – the number of people sleeping on our streets, couch surfing, or seeking social housing is rising dramatically.

In consultation with key stakeholders we've developed a new Draft Port Stephens Local Housing Strategy. This Strategy is designed to set the vision for future housing growth across Port Stephens and focuses on three main areas - housing diversity, housing affordability and housing supply.

The Strategy emphasises a mix of housing types and increased density near our town centres. We know that living close to health services, medical care, education and childcare and having access to public transport, walking and cycling paths are important priorities for our community. We also know that a mix of housing types will help more people across our communities live close to family, friends, and networks through all stages of their life.

The draft Port Stephens Local Housing Strategy also outlines the additional services required to meet increased population growth. We're very aware that to accommodate extra residents, we need extra infrastructure – our roads, health services, schools and public spaces all need to grow to meet future demand. This Strategy will not only help us plan for this change but also, seek funding from both State and Federal Governments to deliver what's needed.

The draft Port Stephens Local Housing Strategy including the draft Housing Supply Plan was on public exhibition for community feedback up until 5pm Monday 29 April 2024.

Enquiries:

Please phone Mathew Egan, Principal Strategic Planner on (02) 4988 0255.